Her motto came from her mother

Family’s Japanese roots and values The lack of discussion about family’s incarceration in Amache Her desire to help at-risk and dependent youth Her motto came from her mother Unique perspective that a judge can bring to community organizations How she transitioned from anthropology to law Mother founded Japanese language school in neighbors’ backyard

Transcripts available in the following languages:

I do, because it’s from my mother again, “Do unto others as you would have them to unto you.” I think if you keep that in mind you will treat people with respect, with dignity, not judge them by how they look, not judge them by their education level, their socioeconomic standard, that’s not how you determine a person’s character.　Her other favorite was, “Do not judge a book by it’s cover,” so I think although I have very strong Japanese roots, it in no way affected how I approach people from different backgrounds, because of this overall broader view of the world and other people. It was not limited to only the people in the community where I lived, it was not limited only to the Japanese American community, of which we were active. Eventually I was part of the Japan America Society, so I’m – I have kept in touch with my roots.

Date: July 27, 2018
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Kiya Matsuno
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum; Japanese American Bar Association

japanese american judge respect value